Hardboard, particle board and similar man-made board products are commonly produced from wood fibers and/or particles which are conventionally bonded into panels with thermosetting resins such as phenol-formaldehyde bonding agents. In the dry process for hardboard production, ligno-cellulosic fibers are first coated with a thermosetting resin binder, such as a phenol-formaldehyde resin, and are then randomly distributed into a mat by air blowing the resin-coated fibers onto a support member. The mat is pressed at temperatures up to about 450.degree. F. and pressures less than about 1000 p.s.i. to compress the mat into an integral consolidated structure and to cure the thermosetting resin. In the wet process for hardboard production, ligno-cellulosic fibers are uniformly blended with water in a series of stock chests to form a slurry. Usually resin binder such as phenol-formaldehyde are added to the slurry where the resin is flocculated and deposited on the fiber surfaces. The slurry is then deposited onto a water-pervious support member, similar to a Fourdrinier wire, where much of the water is removed, leaving a wet mat of ligno-cellulosic material. The wet mat is transferred from the pervious support member and consolidated under heat and pressure to form the board. Typically, pressures of from 400 to 500 p.s.i. and temperatures up to about 450.degree. F. are encountered in consolidation of a man-made board manufactured by the wet process.
The resin binders represent a substantial part of the cost of the hardboard or similar wood product and it has long been desired to reduce this cost factor. Usually costs have been reduced by decreasing the amounts of binder in the hardboard or wood product.